Canada's Nature Museum Wondering If FF Money Sponsoring An Exhibition On The Arctic Was A Good Idea

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A trove of internal documents reviewed by The Narwhal has shed light on how the museum’s leadership spent considerable time and effort soliciting money and other support from Enbridge, a large oil and gas company. The oil and gas sector is Canada’s largest, and fastest growing, source of the carbon pollution that is contributing to the climate crisis. The extreme weather and rising temperatures that climate change is driving is threatening the health of future generations the museum purports to be on a mission to save. Meg Beckel, who was president of the museum for 11 years before retiring last year, personally advocated for an ongoing role for the oil and gas industry in the life of the museum, the documents show.

That included the museum asking Enbridge to help pay for Planet Ice: Mysteries of the Ice Ages, a popular exhibit that addressed climate change’s impact on the Arctic, one of many financial and non-financial contributions to the museum that the company ended up making. In an interview with The Narwhal, Beckel defended her approach, saying she believed in an “open tent” philosophy when it came to donors and sponsors, and that Enbridge was only one of many firms the museum solicited for funding over the years, and not the only controversial one at that.

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Visitors to the museum today won’t see the Enbridge name or logo splashed across any galleries. Yet documents show it was less than four years ago that the museum pressed Enbridge on sponsoring Planet Ice, after an official emailed the company wanting to “hear what priorities Enbridge is focused on, and how we might continue this fabulous partnership.” “Planet Ice as mentioned is a new, world premiere exhibit on ice and climate,” the museum official wrote in a February 2020 email to Enbridge. They attached a brochure on the exhibit, and noted how “we are working with prospective sponsors now” and there was still an “opportunity to be involved.”

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Copies of emails show Enbridge then used the opportunity to try to influence the exhibit’s content. “As discussed, can you let me know if there are any opportunities to share what Enbridge is doing in alternative energy?” an Enbridge official asked the museum, after a discussion of the Planet Ice sponsorship arrangement in October 2020. “ would love to hear ideas from your experience and engagement team on how we might be able to share some messaging with visitors.” The museum official replied that Planet Ice didn’t have the specific kind of programming that would allow for this kind of marketing, but they encouraged Enbridge to chat further about other sponsorship opportunities.

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https://thenarwhal.ca/canadian-museum-nature-enbridge/